Are you thinking of building a sauna with cedar? The reason I ask is I have just built my first and I found it to be quite the interesting project. The client first of all wanted his built underneath a sundeck, but above his two sumps that control wash for his pool and drain tile. Besides the structural part of the sauna and the frame, this sauna included some very fine components that were purchased at Scandia MFG. These included a gas powered sauna heater and a Scandia built door, complete with frame and glass. This company was great to work with and I would recommend going right to them with inquires about their products.

The Sauna was completely finished with Clear Western Red Cedar, ceiling, heater guard, benches, floor, sidewalls, and door. Being outside and located in a north western climate I used an R-20 fiberglass insulation behind a very thin metal vapor barrier. The walls were then strapped and wires pulled for the thermostat control as well as the lights and timer unit.

The inside like I mentioned before was completely clad in clear cedar, not one exception other than the frame did not get the cedar touch. I used all short pieces for a very random look with the complete product. There are a lot of tones from dark brown to light yellow, and of course no knots.

I would love to give any advice to anyone thinking of building a sauna as I would like to do another for myself down the road if possible. It was very interesting to build one from scratch and I recommend it to anyone who wants the benefits of a sauna for themselves